Name: Amira BEN's review of Cleopatra:A Biography by Duane W. Roller
Item: Cleopatra:A Biography
Rating: 5
Author: Amira BEN

Duane W. Roller

Few personalities from classical antiquity are more famous--yet more poorly understood--than Cleopatra VII, queen of Egypt. In this major biography, Duane Roller reveals that Cleopatra was in fact a learned and visionary leader whose overarching goal was always the preservation of her dynasty and kingdom.Roller's authoritative account is the first to be based solely on primary materials from the Greco-Roman period: literary sources, Egyptian documents (Cleopatra's own writings), and representations in art and coinage produced while she was alive. His compelling portrait of the queen illuminates her prowess as a royal administrator who managed a large and diverse kingdom extending from Asia Minor to the interior of Egypt, as a naval commander who led her own fleet in battle, and as a scholar and supporter of the arts. Even her love affairs with Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius--the source of her reputation as a supreme seductress who drove men to their doom--were carefully crafted state policies: she chose these partners to insure the procreation of successors who would be worthy of her distinguished dynasty. That Cleopatra ultimately lost to her Roman opponents, Roller contends, in no way diminishes her abilities."Roller tells his tale smoothly and accessibly....The resulting portrait is that of a complex, many-sided figure, a potent Hellenistic ruler who could move the tillers of power as skillfully as any man, and one far and nobly removed from the 'constructed icon' of popular imagination."--The New York Times Book Review"A rich account of late Ptolemaic culture."--The New Yorker"Offers a superb panorama of the society and culture of late Ptolemaic Egypt, with vivid sketches of the (remarkably vigorous) intellectual life of Cleopatra's Alexandria and the structural instabilities of the late Ptolemaic state."--Times Literary Supplement"Besides providing a compelling story and breathing fresh air into a heretofore two-dimensional caricature from history, Roller's 'Cleopatra' provides an interesting commentary on the attitudes still prevalent towards women who rule."--Christian Science Monitor"Compulsively readable."--Bookslut"A definitive account of a queen of remarkable strength."--Publishers Weekly

A Biography

Cleopatra:A Biography

Amira BEN

Read this for research purposes for a project. I really enjoyed how every aspects of Cleopatra's life has been put to.... well, life. Lineage, education, political motivations, personnal life (we all know involving who). I've learnt a lot, especially about her conflicts with Octavian and why it led to that. 
The writing style is efficient but make you want to keep reading even though there is a lot of information. 
After reading an other well-known bibliography that disappointed me, I found this one more complete in many ways 
So, if your curious about Cleopatra's life I recommend this book. Pretty affordable on Kindle.

Amira BEN &
Cleopatra:A Biography by Duane W. Roller

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Amira BEN &Cleopatra:A Biography by Duane W. Roller

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Amira BEN &
Cleopatra:A Biography by Duane W. Roller